Comments:

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE CROOKS! Like others in this review, we were ripped off by this company. Ordered 4-Globe Artichoke plants in Dec 2016 and after a few months started calling and emailing to see what our ship status was. Spoke with "Jill" several times and was told that excessive rain delayed the plant development. Several times we were promised they were about to ship but never received anything. At all times we were polite and respectful during our phone conversations but on the last call (June), we expressed our concern that the growing season was half done at which point "Jill" suggested we ask for a refund, to which I replied that was our wish. As I attempted to ascertain what we needed to do to process a refund, she went into the most stunning rant I've ever experienced. Followed up with an email requesting a refund; no reply. Consequently we decided to send a Signature Confirmation letter demanding a refund; the letter was signed for by "R Goode". Still have received no response so we are going to escalate this. The Tennessee authorities should shut this business down or hold them accountable.

To Andy's Asparagus Acres - SHAME ON YOU - YOUR BUSINESS IS FRAUDULENT AND YOU SUCK!

Ordered 25 3 year old crowns in February. Credit card was charged for full amount. I called a couple of times to ask about a shipping date and was told that there had been so much rain that they were unable to get the crowns out of the fields. The last time I called, I was told that there was no guarantee of when the crowns would be delivered, and was hung up on. I have e-mailed and received no response. Because I was patient, I have no recourse through the credit card company. $150.00 down the drain. I would not suggest doing business with these people.

On Feb 27, 2017 I placed an order for 25 asparagus Root Crowns and 20 Giant Garlic Plants. Order was paid for through Yahoo! Store, set up by vender, paid by PayPal.
After many emails exchanged and phone calls about delayed delivery dates, I did receive a box with 25 asparagus Root Crowns a couple of weeks ago 5/10..., but not the Garlic Plants. After contacting "Andy" ....message was "Not enough room in box, on it's way"
Granted it's only $20 for the additional Garlic Plants...but I was stiffed for the remainder of my order.
Buyer Beware.

i ordered 25 2 yr old asparagus crowns in nov 2016 for spring 2017 delivery. due to rain and more rain in the spring it was may when i got my crowns! they returned every call and answered every email in those months and kept me up to date as to the status! i got them midday on a friday, immediately put them in a 5 gallon bucket of water and they were in the ground a couple hours later! i had shoots coming out of the ground by monday afternoon! i will recommend them to anyone wanting asparagus!!
jeff logue

This company is also known as Andy's Asparagus Acres.
I ordered from them on 4-27-16. I have not received my order yet but I am remaining hopeful that all goes well, despite all the negative reviews on here.
I will be back to update my review after I receive my order.

Unlike the other commenters, my order was for ramps. Ordered last week. Received a courtesy call a couple days later to let me know the ramps might not be up yet so it could be a couple of weeks. I called right back because I forgot to make sure they were sending ramps for planting, not for eating. Answered my question. A couple days ago I got a USPS notice that the plants were being shipped and I picked them up yesterday. Happy with what I received. I probably will order more next spring.

By far the oddest company I have ever dealt with.I would strongly recommend not ordering from them.

I am in the process of building a 60' raised bed for asparagus and plan to purchase 2 or 3 year asparagus roots for the new beds. I wrote a note to this company (also sell under the name andy's asapargus) asking whether I could also harvest the roots in my previous 10 year old asparagus bed. I then took the time to read the company's reviews here and when I noticed 50% or so negatives I wrote them a simple two line note to ignore my emails as their reviews were too bad to deal with them.

I then received a series of emails from "Andy" accusing me of not being a physician, being a terrible physician, that my patients hated me, over prescribing, only caring about money, and generally being a horrible person. The writer also stated that I was threatening her and that she would report me to "homeland security."

The writer also accused Dave's Garden of offering to remove the negative reviews for $2500 and that the reviews were created by the website to extort them for that money.

Happy to send copies of the emails to anyone needing a few minutes of entertainment.

Not sure I've ever dealt with any odder company. There are multiple reviews like mine on this website. Beware!

Our Spring came fast and I was not ready to plant Asparagus so I placed and order for Fall shipping. Sept came and I was worried that our Asparagus Order would not arrive. I called and my worry was removed once it was explained to me on how the Asparagus roots are harvested and shipped from the Asparagus Farm. I was told that Mother Nature determines when the Asparagus orders are shipped. First, the temperature must cool down so the roots are not damaged by intense heat from the summer. Second, if it rains the Asparagus can not be harvested if soil is to wet. So I waited patiently. Called again in a couple of weeks and that evening was emailed a Tracking Number. The wait was well worth it. The Asparagus roots arrived big mature, clean, healthy ready to plant. I planted in two days. In about 3 1/2 weeks all were above ground. I will harvest big spear early Spring. Everyone in our neighbors has stopped to asked about my Asparagus garden. Thank you Asparagus Gardener - Farm for the most wonderful roots. Sorry if I was not patient. Just did not know that Mother Nature planted such an important factor in harvest the roots.
See you again for another order. We are going to plant another 100 this time Heirloom in Spring 2016. Allan Moore from Texas.

I am a long time gardener and wanted to plant a new Asparagus patch. I planted 50 Asparagus (Heirloom). Here's what happened:
1. the Asparagus roots were excellent.
a. Huge 2 year crowns. A++++
b. quality - excellent healthy fresh A++++
c. roots were dug that day and shipped same day. A++++
d. they only ship via USPS - package arrived on time A++++
e. my Asparagus Order had a tracking number which helped with delivery and when I should expect them.
* All is good!! I planted three days after I received the Asparagus.

3 weeks later the Asparagus were above ground. I since then I have placed and order with the Asparagus Gardener - Farm for 60 more Heirloom to be delivered Spring 2016. Can't wait till Spring planting.

After viewing the companies website, I decided to do a little more homework before placing my order. Through the carnival of colors and confusing layout, I noticed frequent spelling and grammatical errors which made me think I might have stumbled onto a fake website, possibly based out of Nigeria, designed by a lotto winning princess. I spoke to a woman that identified herself as "Rose". She began to rant about "bad shoppers" and "bad customers" and then spiraled into what can only be described as a breakdown of some sort. She said she never gives out the farm address because Burpee has previously sent a tornado to ruin her horseradish. She went on to say that there were "cry babies" suing her and she didn't need a lawyer because she could wear garlic around her neck and become invisible (or maybe "invincible", it was hard to understand her because she was doing a low whisper/growling thing),. I am left to wonder if eating too much asparagus can cause some type of chemical imbalance which leads to psychosis. Perhaps someone should study her.
I have learned that much like law enforcement, air traffic controllers, and soldiers, asparagus farming must be a high stress occupation. Clearly these people need our compassion and support, and quite possibly heavy medication. Maybe I will start a facebook campaign or a gofundme page so that her issues do not go unnoticed. Rose, if you are reading this, hang on, be strong, and always remember that the shipping costs are not your fault.

Posted on June 2, 2015, updated June 2, 2015On June 2nd, 2015, HeatherHolland added the following:

I ordered 4 luffa from Andy’s Asparagus in Feb and got an email that they would contact me prior to shipment. This Saturday I found a slip in my mailbox notifying me I had a package. When I picked it up on Monday I found it was 2 (not 4) dead luffa seedlings (two small leaves each).

I received no notice that they were being shipped.

I called to try to get it resolved and ‘Sandra’ said that they never notify prior to shipping and I got a 'wrong email.' She advised if I had a complaint, I should send an email. I did and got an email back showing the box was signed for at ‘the front desk’ 10 days prior.

Weird since I don’t have a front desk and had to pick the package up from the post office. How is that possible?

Anyway, just received this in my inbox:

1. You don't know how to handle a problem. First you email some dreamt up story about the delivery of your plants.
2. Don't understand the difference between a "Seedling" and a "Plant"
3. Misunderstand how to "communicate" . No phone calls made here to anyone.
4. Tell me some story about the deliver of your oder.
5. Insult me and my plants.

F-

First Warning:
Now I feel threaten by you. I am going to ask you not to email me any more. First a warming stop harassing me. Second warning take legal action. You decide the future.

I’ve never been threatened with legal action from a company before or had a company imply that I’m a liar. I posting here since I’ve received such a harsh ‘warming' and do not want to risk legal action by further emails.

Real pity. I love supporting small businesses. Usually you get great customer service. I also wanted to grow luffa as research for a book I’m writing and my blog.

Based on some of the other reviews here—as well as the responses from the company, there seems to be a pattern. I’d stay far away.

I await with anticipation on a response. Now that I’ve realized I won't get this resolved, I find it amusing.

I ordered 25 2 year old asparagus crowns from them. After I placed my order, I sent a couple emails explaining that I was putting them in a raised bed and asked how big I should make it. They emailed me back the next day giving me a couple examples that would work. They were very helpful and stated to email them back if I ever needed more help. I would not hesitate to order from them again!

Wanted to order from these folks as they are just down the road from me and I was envisioning a long term customer relationship with them. . . but they wanted payment more than two months in advance of when they stated they would dig the plants - and insisted upon mailing the order to me at an increased cost and incurring unnecessary wear and tear on the plants. My instincts were telling me to cancel - which I did. When I cancelled my order, explaining some of my reasons, I got a truly bizarre email from them. It was like the rants of someone with serious mental illness accusing me of wanting to "scope out [their] farm" and so on. . . and I was relieved that I did not engage in any kind of transaction. I deal with farmers all the time and have never before encountered one who is not proud of their farm or their plants and would not be thrilled to avoid shipping their goods. When I buy plants I really am looking for a quick and easy transaction that has no drama and requires no follow up. Now that I see other disturbing reports here I am even more relieved I listened to my instincts. You never know with someone that unstable what they might do next. I don't often review the vendors here but think this one is really important to avoid. Feeling like I really dodged a bullet!!

Posted on January 8, 2015, updated January 9, 2015
I am so sorry to have to give a negative report regarding the order for the asparagus starts that I had ordered from Rose Hembrook, (who also sells through http://www.aparagusgarderner.com)...I was introduced to her through this Dave\'s Garden site...I began my interaction with Rose in October of 2014...I had ordered some asparagus starts, and they had been shipped to me by 2 day mail, but somehow the package was way-laid in transit...By the time the package got to me, the poor little starts were dead...I contacted Ms. Hembrook, and she said that she was willing to give me a refund, and it is now January of 2015, with no help, or sign of refund, to this point...Now I receive no answers from my emails...nor does anyone answer the phone when I call...At this point I am just very disappointed and frustrated...I really would not recommend anyone else who loves to garden...and looking for a pleasant experience with a garden provider...to use this site for anything...Very unprofessional behavior...On January 9th, 2015, shannmike changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:

Well, it's been one day after my comment that I posted yesterday...and it seems that making my comments have helped to resolve my dilemma...Hallelujah!...Rose Hembrook has responded and given me a full refund today!...I am so happy, and all is forgiven between all involved...It seems their farm was closed until Spring, and I was never notified of that fact... and that was the reason for the delay in payment...All in all, I am very happy today...Thank you Rose...I wish and hope the very best for you and your business*...

I have ordered from this company several times in the past years and have always been VERY pleased with the asparagus. I thought "If the asparagus is that good, lets try the strawberries"
I ordered and received the order. The strawberries were small and very soft on the top. We planted them and waited but we had a very poor rate of growing plants. We had a bad ratio of asparagus that did not emerge from this batch also. (Horseradish and garlic are doing GREAT)
I contacted them about this...
The response has been
Why did you wait to call?
Did you take pictures?
What is your soil ph? Moisture content? What fertilizer? Nutrients? How deep were they planted? When did you plant them?
They said, we see it was very wet in your area at the time you received them, probably a weather condition. We sent good plants... subject closed?
I have been a good customer for years, I have over 300 asparagus plants and 50 foot of strawberries. I KNOW what I am doing, we are not novice gardeners. I ask that they consider our long relationship and future business and to consider compensation for this problem.
The comment was, NEVER had other complaints, plants were healthy when we sent them, to bad. Subject closed!!
I should have called earlier, I don't know if there was bad weather when they shipped, did UPS leave them in a vehicle and get too HOT? Too COLD? I don't know, I just know that I made a SIZABLE investment and there is NO customer consideration with this company.
The hoops that they would want IF they were to consider a problem.... soil ph, composition, weather conditions, etc. etc means that they would NEVER admit or make adjustments for a customer problem.

Beware!!! Does anyone have a recommendation for another Asparagus distributor?

I have never seen crowns this big. I got 25 crown that filled the box. Suprized the post office allowed this box to be shipped. I spoke with Chris he is the best there ever was. I got strawberry plants and elephant garlic that I could not kill. Im good at killing plants. My family are enjoying asparagus spears the same year we planted them. Wow this is better than sliced bread. Looks like the strawberry plant have flowers all over them. 100 % HAPPY. Thankyou Chris and the team at Asparagusgardener.com truley an Americen family run company with a personal touch. See you next year. Thanks goforthexpress. GA

This lady is Supposedly a "reputable breeder" of rabbits also. Was willing to meet her in "Cookeville". SHE DOES NOT LIVE IN COOKEVILLE!!! She lives almost 35 miles outside of cookville if not more, to pick up a rabbit. Had her cash and shotty directions. Got lost in the middle of no mans land and was late meeting her. Needless to say in 2013 this woman still doesn't have a cellphone and stated she had to have someone to sit with her father. Called the numbers, tried to get ahold of someone..(Since supposedly the father would have to be home with caretaker)...NO ANSWER!!! If this is how she does business in General STAY AWAY!!!. Thats 2 hours of my life I will never get back. Huge red flag is when you don't allow a person to visit your farm. She will not give you her farm address! When you are willing to pay $125 for a rabbit, you're serious! I was led to beleive this would be a easy off the highway in COOKVILLE pick up merchendise and be on my way. NOT SO! Since both my husband and I are farmers, we were appaulled by this. Buyer Beware!!!

Posted on May 24, 2012, updated May 26, 2012
What started out as a great experience has completely soured. Rose was helpful and responsive with emails when I initially contacted her. Because I have limited space, but wanted a mix of cultivars, we arranged the following order:

She offered to send an invoice through paypal or that I could just send her a check. I chose poorly, as I sent her a check directly and now have no recourse! That check was cashed on May 2. So far I have gotten no info from her that she got the check, has packed or sent my order, or with info about when that might happen.

I have emailed Rose 3 times since that check was cashed. I have called the land line number listed on the website - disconnected. I have called the cell phone number that I found on her blog, which has not been updated since 2008, so it might not be hers. I have called the phone number that was listed with the BBB of Tennessee and gotten a recording that the number isn't in service.On May 26th, 2012, revjlw added the following:

Received this response by private message on Dave's Garden:
Why would you call a 10 year old phone number and hope to talk to someone. Never thought maybe your email was going to Spam.
The phone number on the Blog is over 7 years old. If you wanted the right number, all you had to do is go to the Web Sitehttp://www.asparagusgardener.com and click on Contact Us and you would find the following information.

2,896 customer have talked to me just fine.They all have planted and now picking Asparagus. But you are not. You seem not to be able to solve a simple problem. No problem solving skills here.
You can find your way to "cry baby garden" but can't find you way to the right phone number. That's really funny.
Email:
We receive over 200 email a day. I don't see an email from you. Perhaps in spam.
If you can't see your way to calling me to get your refund then try a a short non-threatening email. And we will get you a refund. But you should really call me. . . I think you would like me if you talked to me. I always have fun with those that want to "bad mouth" someone yet don't have then brawn to call on the phone.
It is now 7:30 am and I have been talking on the phone since 6 am for orders for 2013 yet not call from you.
931-946-2030
Sorry you missed out on harvesting 3 yr old Asparagus spears.

Oh, by the way. You are right about one thing. No customer service here. Customers order pay and we ship. I feel I have a greater responsibility to our customers than to sit on the phone and answere questions about how to plant , when to pick. And those that do need to talk to me call the right number.

Phone is ringing I have to go may be it is you. 931-946-2030

Note to Rose...

I did call the 931-946-2030, as I mentioned in my original posting, and got the message that it was disconnected. That is why I spent a significant amount of time trying to find a new number for you. I had checked my spam folder and never found a response from you. For you to say that I have no problem solving skill is what's silly. Instead of send a caustic reply, getting a hold of me - when my post CLEARLY states that I am trying to get a hold of you - would have been a good choice. We could have cleared up the details about when I would be getting my asparagus and strawberries and tea and I would have gladly changed my negative rating.

One thing I certain - while my trying to reach you directly by every means available to be, you had no trouble contacting me to thrash me when I went public with the lack of communication!!!

To say that you get a payment and ship out immediately is simply not the case for my order, as you cashed my check on May 2nd and still have no shipment.

What exactly do you mean when you say that I am missing out on harvesting 3 yr old asparagus? What I ordered is 2 yr crowns and there is no way I would be harvesting now... Are you now stating that you will not be sending my order?

Stay away from this company. They took my money and never sent the asparagus. I have emailed them several times and they won't answer my emails. It is past time to plant in my zone. I am going to get a hold of the Tennessee Attorney General's office, their local TV stations and comsumer advocate groups in their area. This is a fraud company. They have ninety some dollars of ours and we can't afford to lose that.

The message that you have posted has left out many important details in your complaint.
First you placed an order for Asparagus in Feb 2012 and demanded that your Asparagus be shipped immediately. And that you wanted to take the Asparagus with you to Boliva. You never called here prior to ordering. We are an Asparagus Farm and do not have asparagus for shipping at that time. Asparagus is planted in the early Spring. Anyone shipping Asparagus in Feb would have had to pull the Asparagus out in the Fall and store it in coolers. In coolers the Asparagus can get root rot and fungus -- we don't do that here. The Asparagus stays out in the fields till shipping time. Shipping starts in March..
You just assumed that we would meet your demand of shiping your order in Feb.

You sent an email stating that you were leaving the USA and wanted to take the Asparagus wilth you to Bolivia (an International country). We immediately knew we wanted nothing to do with your illegal activity.The US Department of Ag slowed us down getting your refund to you as they wanted to place charges on you for International violation of transporting plants to another country. It took 2 1/2 weeks to hear back from them. They highly recommended us not to ship the Asparagus to you at all.
You paid with a Charge Card and we do not have a CC server here at our Asparagus Farm. We were set to mail you a check refund yet we have no address for you in Boliva to send your refund too. And we still don't know where to send it.

Furthermore you could of saved your self a headache if you would of taken the time to call us to find out if we could meet your shipping date of Feb. You did not call you just placed an Order. I don't think you know that it is illegal to take plants out of the USA with out USA Agicultural approval. You would of had to have our have our Farm Certification Number. We would of not allowed that to happen and instructed you that it is illegal to smuggle plants to an Intenational country.
Here's some simple advise
1. Stop trying to take planta out of the USA to an International country. It is a fedral crime.
2. Always call before you order from any one. Therefore you will first hand information since it seams like you lack knowledge of when Asparagus is planted and shipped and that it can not be bought from an Asparagus Farm and taken out of the country.,
3. REFUND:
Send an address . . . that we can send your refund to.

First, the company overcharged me and when I called them, Rose yelled at me who said it was my fault that I didn't have a Paypal account and she would put a check in the mail the next day. She said they were only dumb farmers and when I said I didn't think farmers were dumb she started yelling at me again saying I was calling her a liar. She continued yelling telling me how many customers they have and how many orders they have to fill. Really stressed. Realizing I was getting nowhere, I ended the conversation. This was a call made prior to the roots emerging. They did send a check the next day, but they didn't reimburse the shipping which was really high considering 3 lots of the roots arrived in one of those "if it fits, it ships" boxes from the USPO. That will give u an idea to how SMALL the the roots were. I was expecting a much larger box because the photo on their website shows much larger roots being harvested. I didn't persue the shipping refund because quite honestly, I didn't want to "talk" to Rose again.

This was one of the worst companies I've ever dealt with. I ordered the 3-yr old roots and they were really small. I tried to justify their size and planted them anyway thinking the company must've known what they sent and the spears would certainly be large in size. Typical optimistic gardener! :) When they emerged, the spears were about 1/8" thick in diameter, and smaller! Certainly not edible, which was what 3 yr old roots were represented as being on the website.

I wrote the company and sent photos, expressing my disappointment in the size and requesting a refund. Rose once again, blamed me and said I shouldn't have planted the roots and I should've sent them back if I wasn't happy. She ridiculed the photos of the 1/8" thick asparagus spears and said they looked good to her and why was I complaining.

She's aware of Daves Garden comments and called it "Dave's Crybaby Club". I requested a refund and she said I should dig up the roots and send them back. I told her I would do that and then she said I shouldn't have planted them in the first place and she said my soil was bad. No refund. "Bad soil" isn't the case because I've had my soil tested and my previous profession was as a horticulturist --- so it appears I know what I'm doing.

In an effort to keep this post short, I won't go into all the detail about the unprofessional comments that were made and their lack of customer service/satisfaction. In my opinion, I would never do business with this company again. Very expensive, unpleasant, disappointing experience.

I am sorry you did not like the Asparagus roots you received but the photos you sent really tells the story. You planted your asparagus in shale. Aspragus will not grow in rock shale soil.
As for the Asparagus pictures on our web site of the fellow with his head cut off are 5-6 year roots and no where does it says that those roots he is holding are 3 year old. I was yelling because on a cell phone and out in the Asparagus field standing next to a tractor that was running.. You kept saying you could not hear me. FYI Asparagus will emerge on the thin side even when they are 3 year old as they are in the dual process of making root underground as well as trying to make spears above the soil. The pictures on our Asparagus web site of the roots rolled up and laying on a Cherry hardwood floor are from a customer. He took the picture and sent it to me.those are the same roots that your received. He was more than happy with the Asparagus he received. Your Asparagus may have produced small spears because of the soil you planted them in. The Farm Manager reviewed your photos and they clearly showed poor soil. Your soil is a shale type and Asparagus will not gow well in shale.
. Once again if your soil had been prepared properly the Asparagus would have performed better for you.
There are two "keys" to successfully growing Asparagus -- the soil and moderate watering.

When I received the 3 year-old crowns this spring, I was quite disappointed. They didn't look like the ones in their website.
In retrospect I am guessing they must trim them for shipping. After receiving them I had a delay in planting due to rain rain and more rain. After planting they were slow to emerge, and I figured it was a bust. I knew I wanted more asparagus so ordered an equal amount, and same varieties, from another well-known online nursery and planted them next to these. The roots looked exactly the same. Ok, fast-forward to September. The 3-year old roots we bought are like nothing I have ever seen (and I have grown asparagus for many years). I am thinking I may actually need to dig out every other plant, since they are SO crowded. Each plant has 10-30 spears! And very tall! The two-year olds from the other nursery, planted about 3 weeks later, have about 5-7 spears each, and not so tall.
Yes, Rose was a bit slow in replying. Yes, I emailed her several times. But when we talked on the phone she was polite, helpful, and seemed absolutely slammed with work. I think although the website looks like a small family business they are doing thousands of orders every spring. Do I recommend their product? Absolutely! Happier than I imagined with these plants. Next year I won't even need to be careful with them, and I am certain we can eat all we want. The 2- year olds I will wait another year to sample. I will try to take photos and upload them so you can see the difference.

Posted on April 20, 2011, updated June 13, 2011
Ordered 30 three year asparagus crowns (15 Jersey Supreme & 15 Purple Passion) in September of 2010. I spoke with Rose concerning the shipping date in January of 2011 and was told the first week of April (my area's frost date) they would be shipped. The crowns arrived on 4/19/11 after multiple email inquiries. From other reviews below it would seem that shipping dates are a two - three week window with this vendor as they are pulling the crowns from the ground to order and therefore the shipping ETA's vary due to weather conditions.

The crowns themselves where mid-sized compared to some three year crowns that I dug up in my garden at the same time to transplant alongside the crowns which I purchased. I expected to receive bigger crowns however the silver lining is that bigger crowns would neccessitate bigger trenches, and when planting 40 crowns, the less digging necessary the better.

I will say this however... From digging up my own crowns (which were 2 year crowns when bought and grown for one year in an above ground garden box) it is EXTREMELY hard work. My thinking is once the crowns are removed, all the roots are cut to similar lengths to make transplanting into trenches easier for the customer. Now knowing the kind of work necessary to remove asparagus crowns, for the price, these crowns are a great deal!

For those wondering how I planted the crowns, I digged three 12' x 1.5' trenches 1' deep. I then tilled the trench with a hoe another 5". I made small mounds in the bottom of the trench, laid in the crowns and filled the trench with 8" of composted manure and then completely filled it in with topsoil. I then mulched the entire area.

I will report back to let everyone know how well the crowns performed during the first growing season. On June 13th, 2011, smithmal changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following:

Following 1 month of growing I can report the following:

1. All asparagus crowns have had spears emerge from their crowns

2. None of the spears were thick enough to obtain a crop

My understanding was that purchasing 3 years crowns would allow me to obtain a harvest the same year that the crowns were planted (via the website: "Plant and pick this season. Like no other..") This has not occurred. I don't believe my transplant process caused a lack of harvest as the 3 year crowns which I transplanted from my old garden supplied spears thick enough to harvest.

I have no issue with the health of the roots and/or how they were shipped. I'm am excited about the type of harvest which I should obtain next year however I'm dissappointed in being unable to obtain a harvest this year. Because of this, I am downgrading my rating from "Positive" to "Neutral."

Posted on May 20, 2011, updated May 22, 2011
We ordered 2 sets--15 roots in each set--of 3-year asparagus roots. The shipment came, but there were only 15 roots in box. We contacted Asparagus Gardener about the shortage but did not hear back from her. We were forced to file a dispute with PayPal. Our inference is that she knew that the shipment was short because she charged us for shipping that was equivalent to one set of roots. She was not proactive in any way to inform us of the shortage (assuming she knew the order was short) and has not been reactive in any way in regard to our telephone message.

What is most disturbing is that we were charged 9.7% on an interstate shipment which, according to the Tennessee taxation authority, is illegal. I'm interested in how many other persons were illegally charged tax. It is Asparagus Gardener's responsibility to know the law. Stating that it is "PayPal's fault" or that "It was a glitch in the computer system" is a technique of neutralization known as "denial of responsibility." In our view, Asparagus Gardener knew prior to shipment, or should have known after our contact, that our money was taken under false pretenses (we were charged more than what we received). This smells like wire fraud to me (18 USC 1343).

The illegal collection of tax is especially troubling and also fraudulent. I won't even broach the possibility that the roots sent were not 3-year.

Regardless of the response by Asparagus Gardener, the aforementioned is the truth and truth is an absolute defense to libel.On May 22nd, 2011, arloe added the following:

Follow-up: We were issued a refund for the fifteen roots we did not receive, and for the illegally charged "tax". Regardless of what the alleged video shows, we only received fifteen roots and were charged postage for fifteen. To state that the 9.7% was "shipping and handling" when it was marked "tax" and we were charged separately for shipping in addition to the alleged tax is nonsense. That the 9.7% "handling" fee is exactly the rate of sales tax for TN seems more than coincidental--are TN residents charged 9.7% twice? I'm unsure why only our invoice would say "tax" and all other of customers' invoices would say "handling".
Wire fraud has nothing to do with wiring money--it relates to using wires (the internet and money transfers to and from PayPal) in transactions that involve false pretenses. These sellers obviously blame others first and themselves last, make childish and transparently impeachable excuses for their wrongful behavior, and practice the "metaphor of the ledger" (where their illegal behaviors are somehow excused by their legal ones).

We weren't "crying" about anything. We simply didn't like being ripped off and illegally charged sales taxes.

Our video tape shows that 2 sets of 15 were put in the shipping box. What did you do with the others? We have had to go to recording all Orders as so frequently customers say some thing is missing and want replacements for "free" So you may want to recount and make sure the roots are really not there. To say you did not receive them and you did is "theft of goods: punishable by law.

Shipping cost is not calculated by us. It is automatic and the web site does it -- not a person-- not me -- I am the one who Inspects ever Order that goes out.. So your wrong again.

You'd better get a big "tissue box" out cause you going to be cry'n really hard on the next issue.

No one responded to you cause we were busy dealing with the Tornado of the South diid you not see it -- It was on National News . We were doing things like standing the farm tractor back up -- trying to make a make shift house to live in--
helping others with missing family members. And let me tell you a "Human Life" comes wat before anyone "cry'n about missing 15 roots.

Tax Issue: You weren't charged tax -- you were charged "shipping and handling" , And yes there is a charge for handling. If your Invoice said "tax" . I appologize it should of said "handling" Like the rest of the 83,000 roots that went out.

You keep saying "I should of known" no you should of questioned the word "tax " before you paid for your Order.
We would of gladly explained to you it should say "handling"
not "tax". You still cry'n?

What is "wire fraud"? No body "wired money" to us you paid thru Pay Pal. Know what you are paying for . . take some responsibility for your purchases.

You got some of the biggest roots we have. If you did not think they were 3 yr then when you received them you should of returned them. But no you planted them. My question to you is simply do you know how to tell the age of Asparagus roots. How many acreas have you grown in your life? It is quite obvious that you don't know how to be a "good shopper". Good shopper ask s questions then make a purchase. You did not!!

A defense to libel. . . you can't defend yourself let a lone a case of "libel". In short, you don't know what you were buying. . don't know what you are paying for. . don't know that the web site adds up the shipping - not me or anyone else. . . don't know how to tell the age of a roots.

Here's my theory on gardeners and customers:
There's "good customers" and there's "bad customers. Good Customers calls on the phone or sends email and asks important questions like:
1. what am I paying for?
2. how old is the root
3. what is "tax"
4, when will they be shipped
5. what are the factors that will affect my Order to arrive on time to me. We would have told you that all the Asparagus roots stay in the fields till the day of shipping. That is how we gaurantee a healthy disease fresh root. So we rely on Mother Nature not to rain for 5 days straight-- not to send us the remains of an Alabama tornado--
6, And "yes" your Order may be delayed if we get any of the above.

This stuff you are "crying" about could of been handled prior to placing your Order.
Good shoppers that ask questions make good customers. Those that ask questions are smart shoppers.

*** Obvisously, you liked the roots because you planted them and did not return them. You did not state that they were of poor quality. . so this "cry baby" show over here at "cry baby Garden" is to let us all know you are "a bad shopper" who never took the time to ask questions.

In sum,
This is what I can do for you to help you stop "crying"
I will refund you the 15 . . supposely missing roots.
Please use the above information to be a better Internet shopper. Call ask questions. . now here's a tissue go bow your nose!!

PS:
We have put out 83,000 roots to home gardeners since March 22. Our season ened this week May 15th now taking orders for 2012. With that kind of volume -- and 35 yrs strong as an Asparagus Farm there are plenty of "happy Asparagus Gardeners" out there. Remember you are in controll of spending your money. Stop ask questions before "assuming you know every thing". http://www.asparagusgardener.com

I ordered 3 year asparagus from them. Although it arrived on time I have to say the roots systems looked more like first year asparagus not a well developed plant. In comparison to some asparagus root stock I have seen that is only 1 year old this root stock was very small. I emailed my concern to "Rose," and never received a reply back and I paid a nice amount of money for them too! In the future I will go with a different company.Company representative comment on February 12, 2011:On Feb 12, 2011 12:14 PM, Asparagus Gardener responded with:

Are you sure you purchased the Aspragus roots from us?
We have not shipped our Asparagus to anyone as of yet this year. I doubt you purchased them from us. Our Aspargus is still in the ground with snow on top of it.

Also if you were so unhappy with your purchase most people would have just picked up the phone and called instead of sending email. We all know that email can end up in spam or some not even delivered because of misspelled email address.

We have not received any phone calls from you. 931-946-2030.

Really odd that you have time to type messages over here but couldn't call us on the phone with your unhappiness. Someone here would have been more than happy to look in our sales records and see if actually infact you did purchase roots from our farm.

You are trying to make our Farm look shady yet you have not even called us or nor provide any proof that your purchased roots from us. Don't hide behind some garden web site. Call us now and we will be happy to address this issue.

You state that "in the future you will go to another company". Please do. In my 35 year experience of dealing with Asparagus Gardeners. There are
'good customers" and there are "bad customers." A good customer will call on the phone to resolve their concerns. A bad customer will go cry on some web site in stead of of dealing with the problem directly.

We are here all year long and all day long. We are waiting for your call. More than happy to resolve this issue with you. But first make sure you bought the Asparagus from us.

Posted on May 11, 2010, updated May 20, 2010
I ordered and paid by check for (10) five year old asparagus roots. I received (6) roots in the mail with a slip of paper reading (10) and an inspection sticker number 0690. I called Asparagus Gardener and the woman explained that they were moving too fast and that she would ship the remaining plants...I've received nothing, and phone calls are not returned...This company's business practices are QUESTIONABLE, at best...Be very careful!On May 20th, 2010, cbrand changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:

On May 15, Ireceived a refund of 60 dollars for the unshipped asparagus plants. My question about their business practices has been answered...Asparagus plants are growing and Aparagus Gardener is BONAFIDE...

On 12/18/2009 I mailed a check for $60.00 to Asparagus Gardner for 30 plants. The check cleared on January 7,2010.March 25 the plants were delivered to me at a local meeting place. The crowns looked very nice. That evening I was called by the asparagus gardener and was told that they couldn't find any record of payment and that they would hate to have to file thief of services against me. I said I would email a copy of the canceled check in a day or two.Well a few minutes latter I got boiling mad . I got on the net and looked up the check found it had been endorsed by asparagus gardener. I called back and told them the info and also told them I would not waste my time to send them the info if they have such bad bookkeeping. Next is what really pi--ed me off I was told that I was a thief just as they though and they would file against me.

I ordered 24, 2-year-old asparagus crowns and 1 bag of asparagus garden tea in early 2009 from the Asparagus Gardener. I had a few questions about them before purchasing and Rose replied within 24 hours each time. I also changed my initial order and Rose had no problem with updating it. There was one error in the pricing confirmation email however. I had been charged twice for asparagus garden tea. I let Rose know this and asked her to just send me two bags instead of one. She agreed to do this.
After I submitted my order, I received a confirmation email. This email contained instructions on how to plant and said they should arrive about April 14th. They did not arrive on this date however and I did not receive any further notification so I wrote to Rose asking when they might be shipped. She replied with the USPS tracking number and explained that shipping had been delayed due to rain, snow and sleet. The USPS tracking number did not work however (USPS claimed no record of that item). I wrote to Rose again asking when it had shipped and if that was the correct number. She replied saying she’d check on the number but did not tell me when they had shipped. They arrived about April 20th and I promptly put them in the ground per Rose’s instructions. About a month later small spears started sprouting up. Most spears were just a little thicker than a pencil but overall they ranged from the width of a stick of pasta to 2-3 times the thickness of a pencil. The largest grew to about 3-4 feet tall as promised and the smallest between 6-12 inches. One crown never sprouted spears however. I am not certain why since it received the same care as all the others and was not drastically different in size or condition. I do have squirrels in the area so they may have damaged it when digging in my garden beds.
Regarding the Asparagus Gardener website: I liked the personal feel I got from it, including Rose’s personal audio message on the main page. It appeared as if Rose had developed the site on her own (Which is admirable. Web page development is hard work). The color scheme was harsh on my eyes however and the navigation took some getting used to but in the end I was able to find what I was looking for and I could adjust my monitor’s brightness to make the colors less harsh. The biggest (yet still minor) con was that the grammatical errors and spelling caused some confusion at times and the email planting instructions contradicted those on the website. The email said to plant crowns 4” deep so I did this and they did fine. Later I noticed the website says 6” deep.
Overall I am pleased with the plants and the variety offered. My mail order experience was about average. The tracking number issue may have been the fault of USPS but it would have been nice if Rose had informed me when she had shipped them without me having to ask. I would probably order from Rose again if I needed anything else. Additionally, I emailed Rose just this week to ask one more question. She again replied within 24 hours.
Here are links to some pictures of the asparagus I received and their progress.http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/joeworm/GardenAndPlants... Directly out of the shipping box (with 2 bags of asparagus garden tea mix)http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/joeworm/GardenAndPlants... 4 of the Jersey knight asparagus next to a 12 inch rulerhttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/joeworm/GardenAndPlants... A crown in the process of being plantedhttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/joeworm/GardenAndPlants... One of the first spears to come uphttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/joeworm/GardenAndPlants... A week or so laterhttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/joeworm/GardenAndPlants... 8 months after planting, ready for cutting down

after placing an order for horseradish root back on march 30 and no order shipped in april or may ( due to constant rain at the farm) , i repeatedly asked stankin'rose what the status of my order was. she finally acknowledged on may 16 that she would refund my money.
"We have had so much rain. It is still raining. I am affraid if I ship your order it may very well not grow. So I will just refund your payment.

I am sorry this order has been going on for ever. We have had incredible rain.

Sincerely,
Rose
perhaps they should start building an ark down there . its been more than 40 days and 40 nights~ well, it has been 3 weeks, and no refund check. i emailed
stankin' again , giving her my address to be sure, and no
response.
please save your money, and some aggravation and order
from a different company.
i guess i lost my $26.50.....but heres a tip....if you can find horseradish root in your local grocery store...plant it...guess
what ...IT GROWS JUST FINE!!!On June 27th, 2009, nohorseradish changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:

refund came from asparagus gardener along with a note
chastising my comments. since i have been put in my
place, i change my rating to neutral since no product was
exchanged, and a monetary refund was sent.

Prior to paying for my order I found Rose to be informative and quick to respond to any question I had. Customer service went down hill after payment was received. Following many exchanges I believe a problem with the order has been resolved, and if not I will provide an update at a later date.
I am very happy with the quality of the product (2 yr asparagus crowns, black rasberries, and elephant garlic) and would recommend a purchase based on that fact, but personally would not order from them again solely based on the way I was treated.
NOTE: When ordering from the above company save/print any e-mail received with planting instructions as nothing written is supplied with the order. On June 10th, 2009, MAGardener changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following:

Downgrading review to negative due to quality of plants. My asparagus crowns were 1/2 the size of 1 yr crowns ordered from Johnny's and the spear size is not even comparable, A.G.'s spears are slivers, Johnny's closer to a straw. No way I received 2 year crowns which is what I paid for. Also lost rasberries and elephant garlic (or was it just dead already??) and this is no fault of my own- onions and shaollts thriving right next to elephant garlic and 3 other rasberries purchased elsewhere are doing well. In total out of 8 items only 2 have survived, asparagus crowns aside.

nohorserasish, keep communicating with her or complain to BBB in order to get that refund, that is what I had to do. Best of luck!

When I was shopping for asparagus crowns, I found a web site that purported to have good stock but was rife with errors. I wrote to the seller, offering to edit for a discount in my purchase order, although the latter would not have paid for my time. I believe the e-mail exchange below speaks for itself:

My first letter:

Dear Asparagus Farmer,

I am writing because I am shopping for asparagus, berry bushes and other additions to a newly purchased piece of land. When I discovered your web site, I was excited at first, but then a little concerned because there are SO many grammatical and spelling errors on it. While you probably know your stuff, and your asparagus crowns and plants are likely to be of good quality, having so many errors mars your image.

Years ago, before I became a health-care provider, I was an editor and journalist. Would you like to strike a deal that for a percentage off my order, I clean up your text so that your professionalism shines through? If so, let me know. Please know, though, that I plan to order from you anyway, so you will not lose anything if you decline. This is just an offer to lend a hand: as someone who's glad you are willing to help ME grow, I'd be happy to return the favor.

Respectfully,
A

The reply I received, under the subject line "Sorry We Have Choosen Not To Sell To You":

"I like the mis-spelled and grammitically incorrect sentences. I have an Master Degree from University Northwest Chicago Illinois and I can gaurantee you that if I wanted the words spelled right I would have them spelled correctely.

"I do not need to shine threw my spelling. What you do not know is that we shine as Asparagus Producers of seed, roots, and fresh asparagus. We are intenational shippers and be far top quality that can not be found anywhere in the USA. We have a long and vast customer based way beyond the average home gardener. For example, I just shipped 6,500 Asparagus roots to South Carolina. And that is just one small order.

"We have a long 35 year reputation as Professional Growers. and Asparagus roots and seed sellers.

"You know absolutely nothing about us. you say "we probably know our stuff".
We do not only know our "stuff" we are selective as to the customers that we choose to sell to.

"After reviewing your email . . . we will have to ask you to go some other place and purchase your Asparagus and what ever else. We feel you do not have any experience growing Asparagus and would probably kill it.

"Let me recommend you try these Nurseries . . . may be they can help you out
Gurnee . . . they grow nothing and purchase their plants and roots from 2nd rate grower. Many gardeners have introduces virsus into there soil by planting their plants.

"American Meadow . . . grows nothing . . . sells mold

"Burpee . . . grows nothing and buys Asparagus roots and stores them in a refirgator from last fall. Gardeners get them and they do not grow just rot.

"Or and there is Walmart . . .they have those little tiny roots that have preservatives sprayed on them so they do grow while on the store shelf and they dont grow when you get them home either.

"So there you go. . . you could have gotten nice huge roots planted them and been picking Asparagus in a few week and berry plants from us but I dont need your business. Not even if you bourght all 3o acres of Asparagus rootsthat I have.

Sincerelry,
Rose Hembrook
Asparagus Gardener"
4-9-08

My reply to this letter:

"Dear Rose,

"I am sorry to have offended you. Nothing -- not great writing, not growing asparagus -- is more important to me than growing good relationships, and I fear I have unwittingly let us both down in this. My guess is that had we met face to face as two women who both run businesses and take great pride in their work, we would have liked and respected each other.

"I never want to lack the courage to admit my mistakes. My offer, however well-intentioned, appears to have been misguided and uninformed. Maybe it seemed as though I cared more about grammar or spelling than about your feelings. I don't. I thought I was offering you a specialized skill in appreciation for YOUR specialized skill as a grower. Now, after hearing your perspective, I see how my e-mail must have felt to you. I hope you will accept my apology NOT because I want to be back in your good graces and to buy asparagus from you, but because I care that my e-mail left you feeling stung.

"All I can offer is my sorrow, my hope that you and your business always prosper, and my gratitude for a valuable if painful lesson about what can happen in communication between two people who don't know each other: I deeply regret having written that e-mail. If there is anything more I can say or do to mend this miscommunication, please allow me the opportunity to do so: Having offended you saddens me far more than the inability to buy asparagus roots from you, Rose, no matter how wonderful they are.

Respectfully,
A"

Her response to this letter:

"You have not in the least bite bother me at all. You might know how to spell but one thing you are not is a writer.

"Take College English 98 it will teach you how to write --
1. Topic Sentence
2 Body of Paragraph
3. Thesis Sentence . . .your presentation/ agurement the point you are trying to get across.

"I am blocking you from emailing me. . .you are a "Spackel Crack" one who shoots up carpenters "spackel" and thinks it is heorine!!

"Bye Bye Fruity!!"

After this response, I sent the following note and ceased contact:

"Dear Rose,

"If you have not already blocked me, I wanted to let you know that I am so concerned about your part of the exchange that has occurred with me that I have contacted the Division of Consumer Affairs in your state and will be forwarding your e-mails along with my complaint. Your ability to do business in the public domain has been thrown into question by your responses.

Waiting to receive an order. I'll post back when I get it. Great information given ahead of time on how to plant the asparagus, onions and garlic. On April 14th, 2007, bookworm28 changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:

The order came a bit late - but the spring weather this year has hit TN as well as most of us east of the Rockies very hard. The order wasn't filled right the first time (missing but a few plants),but after an email, it was corrected and now all the promised plants have come and are in the ground. They look great - wonderful thick asparagus roots (2 yr old and much bigger than most that come at 1 yr.), beautiful elephant garlic and cadawissa and walking onions (similar to each other but not the same). Info and instructions from her was exceptional. A real person - not a corporation. Just what I was looking for!

I just sent in an order to Asparagus Gardener after much research. I emailed back and forth with Rose several times and she always was very prompt and helpful in her replies. I am expecting to get excellent plants from her and feel confident that she will be exceedingly helpful should I have questions later on.

is the best coustomer servise that i have ever had. i have not ordered from yet, but when time comes to plant, is here that i will order.
i wrote with a question, not a order, just a question and got areply back in hours.

when i answered her question, to finish answering mine, was again a very short time for a reply and all answers where direct and correct, as well as courtious.